With the recent rash of not so impressive play by the Pirates, talk has started around town that they may be in trouble. Let us all take a step back, look at the facts, breathe a little and relax.
The most important stat of all is that on August 15th our beloved Pirates are in a playoff position. They are still 1/2 game up on the final wildcard position. If there were more than 1000 of us that thought that was going to be the case at the beginning of the season, I would honestly be shocked. The fact that the Pirates are still playing meaningful baseball in August is amazing in my opinion.
Secondly, we must look at the competition. They have run into some teams that just happen to be in the midst of some extraordinary winning streaks. The Reds are on absolute fire. The Dodgers and Diamondbacks are fighting for their playoff lives as well. Do the Pirates need to play better against the top competition? Absolutely! There are still games against The Reds, Braves, and Cardinals that will make a difference. There is still time to make our own run.
Finally, McCutchen and Alvarez have been slumping of late. These two stars are very important to the stretch run. They need to hit much better than they have been. The law of averages says they will...couple that with Walker and Jones hitting the cover off the ball, and McKenry getting more playing time, the offense should improve.
Don't panic Pirates fans...our long wait for a winner is coming!
4:15pm UPDATE: Lineups for tonight have been posted and Alvarez is out. Looks like Hurdle is making another attempt to get him straight again. Last time he did, Pedro went on a tear....lets see what happens next.
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